


Nap under a tree

by Vibe (lucresence)



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Gender-Neutral My Unit | Byleth, Nonbinary My Unit | Byleth, Other, Soft Claude von Riegan, physical touch, this man makes me soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:35:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29176536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucresence/pseuds/Vibe
Summary: Watching someone you love, while they take a nap gives you a perfect opportunity to observe their features closely.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth & Claude von Riegan, My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Kudos: 3





	Nap under a tree

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired snippet by [this post](https://twitter.com/claudelethzine/status/1356255990434451460?s=20), that encourages Claudeleth content by giving a general topic! I went into a slightly different direction, but I still love them,,

Claude had always wondered just how exactly Byleth cut their hair. When looking around all the strange personalities who lived at and passed by Garreg Mach, there was not one with such a messy hairstyle. It looked ruffled, and little layers of different shades of green were separated by uneven cuts. The sunlight that was reaching out through the leaves of the tree they were leaning against was coloring their hair in even more shades, emphasizing the different colors even more. As unusual as their upbringing was, he was uncertain if they had ever had someone doing it, who actually knew what they were doing. Maybe Jeralt had simply used a blade to cut off the tips that were too long? He could have sworn he had seen his precious Teach at least trying to shorten a strand with a dagger.

A subtle chuckle escaped him at the image of Byleth's head resting on his shoulder as his hand ran through the greenish locks. The longer strands that fell down to their shoulders felt surprisingly silky, considering how they most certainly had not much time to take care of their appearance, nor seemed to care to a much greater amount than what was practical.

With a tilt of his head his gaze was wandering off across the calm and peaceful scenery of the gardens of the Monastery. Countless joyful memories could be found here; how lighthearted their time at the Academy had been all those years ago. To think that so many things would change this suddenly still surprised him. All his wit and cleverness had not prepared him for the cruelty of war… but with his Teach by his side, he was certain that even the faintest chance of success could be realized.

A little movement caught Claude’s attention, his gaze shifting from the light hair to his friend’s face, whose long lashes were fluttering briefly, before a pair of emerald eyes were drowsily gazing up at him. They were greeted with a mischievous grin that tugged at the corners of the Almyran’s lips as they raised their head from his shoulder and rubbed the sleep out of their eyes. Arms reaching out into the air, they stretched their body from the unusual sleeping position, looking like a feline while doing so.

“Good morning, sleepyhead!“ His greeting passed without a comment, only a pair of bright eyes blinking at him with the faint memory of a dream still lingering within them. How much he loved gazing upon their features; they seemed so... unrealistic, like from an entirely different world. If there was a Goddess above, he wouldn’t even know who would catch his interest over the other. There was always a secret hidden within the depths of their eyes.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” they asked, their voice still low and hoarse from their not-so-short nap. It was different from their usual tone during war councils or conversations during lunch, but he actually liked it much better. Why? Because he knew Byleth didn’t consider their words too many times before speaking. When they had just woken up, they allowed him to hear their very thoughts. 

“Why, should I have done that?” Claude couldn’t hold back another chuckle as his hand reached out to tuck a strand of ruffled hair behind their ear, his hand brushing against their cheek on its way back. “You looked so relaxed and happy, I didn’t want to disrupt your little rest!”

Their reaction conjured a satisfied smile on his lips, watching their eyes widen for a second, before dropping to the ground, cheeks colored by a very faint hue of red. Ah, what a rare and cute sight. A moment of embarrassed silence lasted, Claude’s heart beating loudly against his chest as he waited for his flustered Teach to form words into a sentence. Even though after all those years they still weren’t chatty, he would wait all time in the world to witness Byleth express their feelings when they were aware of them. Listening to such words was like a reward for an achievement, for luring out an emotion that would warm their heart.

“... You think... I looked happy? Did I smile?” Their question followed eventually, hesitant as always when discussing the matters of the heart. Shifting his weight around, Claude leaned back against the trunk of the big tree, which had been serving as a support just a few moments earlier. “You looked peaceful,” he answered, eyes closing to remember the image he had embedded into his treasure of memories. “When you fight, you look fierce and strong, but just now... I feared that you might break if I got up and you were left alone. I was just thinking to myself, heh,” the memory lured a quiet laugh out of him. “You smiled, yes. You weren’t readingmy mind, were you?”

His playful joke earned him a weak punch against the shoulder as well as a second smile, faint, fragile, but more precious than any gold or treasure in the world. Unable to resist, Claude leaned forward again, closer towards them, until his lips would seal theirs with a light, breathy peck, just enough to make it linger a few seconds longer. “I’m glad I was there to see it.”


End file.
